Goodbye & Hello
by jareya
Summary: A little bit of Harm/Mac fluff. Originally written for the May 2013 HBX Challenge.


_A/N: A really short piece; a bit of Harm/Mac fluff. _

_Disclaimer: I don't own the TV show JAG or its characters, this is purely for fun._

Harm shifted in his car seat, rolling back his shoulders to relieve some of the tension that had built up throughout the day. As days went, this one had been a disaster. From the frustrating, exhausting gridlock on the way to work (resulting in his late arrival in court), to the disappointing ruling by the judge, to the long and boring meetings with various scheming politicians, demanding clients, crotchety senior officers and recalcitrant young attorneys; to the fire alarm that led to the entire building being evacuated (thanks to an old electric kettle), to the drycleaners randomly deciding to close early, to the Chinese restaurant getting his order wrong - twice.

Still, it was good to finally be heading home to his wife. _His wife_ – it still felt incredibly good to say that. They'd been married for six months now, and although living with Mac was sometimes rocky and frustrating, it was also pretty amazing – and often very surprising.

He'd known her for almost a decade, so he would never have imagined that she could still surprise him – but he discovered new things about her all the time. She was more passionate than he'd imagined – both in anger and in desire, and she was extremely affectionate and tactile with him. For some reason, he hadn't expected the constant physical contact she clearly enjoyed lavishing upon him – and he loved it, loved to experience the side of Mac that was so openly tender and nurturing.

She also had some strange, quirky habits – like her penchant for putting peanut butter on almost everything. She had some fascinating rituals – like the way she methodically got dressed in the mornings – step by step, like clockwork – quick, but thorough. He never got tired of watching that. She was definitely funnier than he'd known she was – sometimes even ridiculously goofy. And best of all, she was all his. He smiled and tapped his fingers against the steering wheel to the rhythm of the Muddy Waters song playing on the radio. The traffic was hellish, but nothing could spoil his good mood. He was heading home.

Meanwhile, in her car, Mac was listening to Tchaikovsky, in a bid to calm her frayed nerves. "What a day," she mused, struggling to stay alert as she carefully navigated the winding roads. She was utterly exhausted – nothing had gone right, from the moment she walked into her office only to be confronted with a laundry list of complaints from her commanding officer, to the tense staff meeting that had resulted in ruffled tempers and sulky faces all around the table, to the disciplinary proceedings she was ordered to attend with only a few minutes' prior notice. And then Harm had called to say that he had been unable to drop off her uniform at the drycleaners (something about them closing early). She _needed_ to get that uniform cleaned as soon as possible.

Still, all that aside, it felt great to finally be on her way home. Harm was bringing her favorite Chinese meal. They would have a nice dinner; then maybe they'd veg out on the couch for a while. She loved their quiet evenings at home. Their days tended to begin early and end late, and unlike the days when they had worked together, they spent most of each day apart, so those few hours before sleep were important to them, and usually spent relaxing and just enjoying being together. _Usually_ – once in a while they would waste those precious hours fighting over something wholly inconsequential, but they would generally manage to patch things up before they went to bed.

She shook her head, smiling to herself. Harm was pretty easy to live with for the most part, but sometimes he drove her up the wall – usually when he refused to communicate. It was ironic – in her relationships prior to Harm, _she_ had been the taciturn one, keeping her thoughts to herself and not sharing them with her partner. Now she sometimes felt like she was turning into the stereotypical frustrated wife, trying to get her clam of a husband to open up. It was weird – _she_ used to be the one that was too independent, the one that wouldn't let her partner give her help and support when she needed it. But now, Harm kept trying to bear all his problems on his shoulders alone – and then he would try his best to lift her burdens as well. She often had to remind him that what they had was a partnership, and that meant sharing _everything_. Despite this issue, she knew she was lucky – she had a man who loved her unconditionally – one that made her feel good about heading home.

A few hours later, Harm was stretched out on the couch with his eyes closed, his head in Mac's lap as she ran her fingers through his short hair. They'd just finished dinner and a friendly competition of 'Who had the worse day?' (it ended in a tie, naturally), and were now basking in contented silence.

"It's getting late… 2209," Mac finally murmured.

"Really?" Harm remarked. "It feels like we just got home."

"Yeah, I guess time flies when you're having fun."

"I am. Having fun, I mean," Harm said.

"Yeah, me too. Wanna go to bed and have even more fun?"

Harm smiled and opened his eyes. "Do you even need to ask?"

It wasn't long before they were in bed, soft whispers and moans accompanying long, leisurely kisses and intimate touches. It was one of those nights when there was no hurry, when they just relaxed in each other's arms and let everything go.

"You know what I was just thinking about?" Mac asked suddenly, her voice low and husky with want.

Harm looked up sharply from the curve of Mac's waist, the smooth arc that had called out to him and captured his attention. Stark disbelief stood out in his eyes. "You can't possibly want to start a conversation right now."

"No, but I was just thinking," Mac said slowly, "that I had a pretty good life when I was single…."

"I'm not sure I like where this is going," Harm commented warily.

Mac continued as if he hadn't spoken. "… but nothing beats going to bed with you every night, and waking up beside you every morning. Yeah, it was a good life, but I won't miss those cold, lonely nights I spent longing for you."

"Neither will I," Harm said softly, almost reverently. "So goodbye, cold, lonely nights."

Mac grinned. "And hello, warm, loving nights."

And for a long time after that, nothing more was said.

_A/N: Thanks for reading! Your reviews are very welcome; I would love to know what you think._


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